Page 167 - Speedhorse June 2019

Governors Cup Marathon
LOVE TA ZOOM
by John Moorehouse
Love Ta Zoom emerged from a five-wide battle in the turn to win the 870-yard $15,000 Governor’s Cup Marathon, held at Sam Houston Race Park on May 17.
Home-bred by Sue Fikes, the five-year-old geld- ing broke through for his first-ever stakes victory in his 21st career start. Kie Mushinski trains Love Ta Zoom, who broke from the outside starting gate in the six-horse field and steadily chased down his com- petitors. Love Ta Zoom was third at the first call and running second as part of the five-wide move around the turn before emerging from the pack to hit the wire first by a neck in a driving finish.
Ricardo Garza-Cruz was in the irons as Love Ta Zoom finished the 870-yard trip in :48.048, giving Garza-Cruz his 11th win of the Sam Houston meet. Of Love Ta Zoom’s four career wins, three now have come at the 870 distance. The gelding already had his black type, placing second in last September’s running of the San Marcos Handicap at Retama Park. The $9,000 payday pushed his total earnings to $30,642.
Fikes bred Love Ta Zoom out of 3-time winner Loves Easter Bunny. She has produced 100% win- ners from seven starters, including top money earner Loves Brown Sugar, a 7-time stakes winner. Lova Ta Zoom is her fourth stakes winner.
Mountain Dew Man (Gone To The Mountain-RG Lets Roll) settled for second under Francisco Calderon for owners Sarah and Abel Lopez and trainer Arnold Lewis.
Snowbound Cowboy (Snowbound TB-Strawberry Cartel) and Luis Ruiz finished a distant third for owners Greta and Pete Guerra and trainer Janessa Muniz.
Last year’s Governor’s Cup Marathon winner Jack Ketel (Ketel Won-Sheza Moon Bar Baby) was fourth, followed by No Habits Here (No Secrets Here-Sheza Habit) and Toast Me Gone (Toast To Dash-Im Really Gone).
Texas Twister Stakes
SHAKE EM ROCKS
by John Moorehouse
After finishing third in the Texas Twister Stakes last year, Shake Em Rocks came back to
win the 2019 version of the race, prevailing in the $15,000 event at Sam Houston Race Park on May 17. The four-year-old filly secured her first-ever stakes victory in the Texas Twister, and she also secured a victory for jockey Joseph Gordon Jr., who came out of retirement as a rider and was back in the irons for the first time in 18 years.
The inside gate proved best for Shake Em Rocks, a Roger Moore trainee. The filly broke well and beat Im Sporting Rock to the finish line by a neck, cover- ing the distance in :7.220 and logging her fifth in- the-money finish in as many starts at Sam Houston.
Home-bred by Betty and Bob Moore, Shake Em Rocks now holds four wins in 16 starts, and the $9,000 prize increased her earnings to $36,289. The Moore’s also home-bred her dam, Shake Em Fever, who logged five stakes wins of her own, three of them in graded company. She has produced 100% money earners, with Shake Em Rocks being her first stakes winner.
Two horses making their debut at 110 yards also hit the board. Im Sporting Rock (Corona Cartel-Painted Silk) was 2nd, even after an objection by the trainer of The Ram Cartel against jockey Manuel Gutierrez led to a steward’s inquiry. Im Sporting Rock is owned by Jose Fabian Hernandez & trained by Robi Meche. Country Hot Doggin (Country Chicks Man-Baby Runs Hot),
a 17-1 underdog, was 3rd under Francisco Mendez for owner Santiago Robledo & trainer Francisco Perez Jr. Winnes Solid (Rock Solid Jess-Winners Check) was 4th, Cadillac Cash (FDD Dynasty-Evans Express) was 5th, in a deadheat for 6th were Classy Seis (Tres Seis- Cloned With Class) and Glimpse Of Fire (Glimpse
Of Greatness-Pie Opener), followed by Papi Chulo
JM (Pappasito-Junoimokey), The Ram Cartel (The Louisiana Cartel-Jos Jody O Toole) & Wanna Be a Celebrity (Stel Corona-Just Wanna Be Me).
BOA HOU Champ. Chal.-G2
KAS TEMPTING
by John Moorehouse
Kas Tempting secured his first stakes win, taking the $65,637 Bank of America Sam Houston Championship Challenge-G2 on May 11.
A Josue Ponce trainee, Kas Tempting entered this
event as the seventh-fastest qualifier, finishing his 440-yard trial in :22.150. He was significantly quicker in the finals, breaking well and running a close second behind SF Hot Pass at the first call. The pair dueled all the way to the wire, where jockey Sergio Becerra Jr. got Kas Tempting there first by a neck. This time, the trip took :21.592, generating a 98 speed index.
The colt now holds four wins in 13 starts, and the $30,193 first-place share of the purse increased his total earnings to $122,505. The victory also qualified him for the Bank of America Challenge Championship-G1, a $250,000 race set for part of the Bank of America Championship card on Oct. 26 at The Downs at Albuquerque.
Garza Laurel Partnership, LLC, owns Kas Tempting, whose best prior stakes performance was a runner-up effort in last year’s Sam Houston Derby-G3. Francisco Javier Garza bred Kas Tempting and home- bred his dam, Beaukas, a 2004 winning mare.
SF Hot Pass (Ivory James-Passem Up Perry) fin- ished second despite being the top qualifier, even-money favorite, and a winner of multiple graded stakes races. Shannon Fisher is the owner and Leon Bard the trainer. Francisco Calderon drew the riding assignment. Bard also trains This Is A Deal Too (Dealagame-Lady Lilia), who finished third under Nestor Duran for owner
Pete Scarmardo. The remaining order of finish was Financial Top (Heza Fast Dash-Financial Leverage), Thecartelofmiracle (Tough And Good-Its Jess A Miracle), TLC Dale (The Louisiana Cartel-Halies Dale), Eye Am Sizzlin (Sizzlin Cartel-Eye Opening Jess), Favored One Sweet (One Sweet Jess-Favored), EOS A Political Win (Apollitical Jess-Pithia) and Tempting the Ladies (Tempting Dash-Cartels Lady).
Sam Houston Race Park • $15,000 870 yards • :48.048
Azoom LOVE TA ZOOM, ‘14-g.
Shazoom
Crystalinas
Royal Shake Em
Loves Easter Bunny
Love Zucchini
Sam Houston Race Park • $15,000 110 yards • :7.220
Mr Jess Perry
Rock Solid Jess
SHAKE EM ROCKS, ‘15-f. Shake Em Fever
Rockin The Tetons Royal Shake Em
Victory Fever
Sam Houston Race Park • $65,637 440 yards • :21.592 • si 98
First Down Dash
A Tempting Chick Make It Anywhere Beauclare
Tempting Dash
KAS TEMPTING, ‘15-c. Beaukas
SPEEDHORSE, June 2019 165
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